Youngsters Jump In Chess Deep : 33 Take On a Grandmaster and Make Their Best Moves

Peering out from under their big baseball caps, the 33 youngsters in Placentia on Sunday morning looked something like Little Leaguers.

But these kids weren’t playing baseball. And the parents who stood behind them weren’t yelling for a hit or questioning the eyesight of an umpire.

Mostly there was silence in the big, high-ceiling room of the Boys Club of Placentia. Only a soft click, click indicated the moves in progress: kings and queens, bishops and rooks moving across 33 chess boards.

They All Took On a Grandmaster

The scene involved an unusual “simultaneous exhibition” chess game. The 33 youngsters from Orange and Los Angeles counties all were simultaneously playing chess international grandmaster Nick de Firmian of San Francisco.

Dressed in blue blazer and gray slacks, De Firmian, 29, walked briskly from chess board to chess board around the big square table. He paused in front of each youngster’s board, made his move and then went on to the next board.

“We won this exhibition from the United States Chess Federation because we signed up more new federation members than any other club in the nation,” said Robert M. Snyder, 33. He is director of Chess for Juniors, and the 33 young players in the room all were members of his Garden Grove-based organization.

“I found there was a real need for an organization like this,” Snyder said. “Chess teaches study and concentration. Many parents find that their kids do better in school after they take up chess.”

Snyder said the United States Chess Federation paid the expenses for De Firmian’s trip to Orange County and his challenge match against the 33 youngsters. “We don’t expect any of our group to win, but I think a few will be giving him a good game,” Snyder said.

During a break in the three-hour game, De Firmian concurred that some of the youngsters were playing very well indeed. He said he started playing chess at age 5 and empathized with the young players. De Firmian, a native of Santa Barbara, said he worked his way to a business degree at UC Berkeley by giving chess exhibitions.

A Kindergarten Chess Player

One of the smallest youngsters playing the intent, silent game was Scott E. Worsley, a kindergarten student from Orange who turned 6 in April.

Scott’s blue eyes studied the chess board intently. Asked what he liked about the game, Scott responded, “It takes long.”

De Firmian, shifting clocklike from chess board to chess board, made his moves quickly. Click, click, stalemate, and his opponent would check his notes to see what had gone wrong.

In the background, standing with the cluster of parents, Snyder nodded and smiled in spite of the losses. “This is very good experience for them,” he mused.